Ince & Co grows in Beijing with veteran in-house hire

Prior to joining Ince & Co Guo held a series of positions at COSCO for 18 years. He started with the group’s bulk shipping arm in Tianjin and most recently served as the head of its legal, insurance and claims department in Beijing.

Ince & Co opened its Beijing office in July 2012 with the relocation of partner Wai Yue Loh from its Shanghai office, which was opened in 2000 (25 July 2012). The Beijing office now has six lawyers. The joining of Guo will also push the total number of the firm’s lawyers in mainland China to 23.

At the time of the launch Loh said the city had become an increasingly important location for international shipping firms. “A base in the business and political heart of the PRC not only provides proximity to our clients’ operations in Beijing and in northern ports such as Tianjin, Dalian and Qingdao, but also assists us in maintaining close relationships with government authorities,” he said in a statement.

The China team advises clients on contentious and transactional shipping and trade matters in China. A highlight of its recent work was its representation to the shipowner of the ‘Pontodamon’ in an allocation of liability against the ‘He Da 98’ following a collision between the two vessels.